Chiang Mai glue sniffer beats up Chinese tourists

Sanook is reporting on what they described as yet another “devastating blow to Thai tourism”.

In the latest case, the alleged glue-sniffing son of a downtown tailor went after two Chinese tourists with a wooden club as they innocently took photos in a tourist area.

The attack occurred in the Wua Lai Road area where there is a ‘walking street’ style night market popular with tourists.

The 24 year old ‘glue-sniffer’ told police that he had a paranoid attack and thought the tourists were out to get him. He laid into the Chinese with whacks to the face and body. They ran in terror covered in blood and were helped by locals who got them to a hospital.

The suspect was soon in custody. His parents had tried to stop him without success, according to Sanook.

The unprovoked attack happened on Saturday night in front of Wat Nantharam as the tourists happily snapped holiday photos. The attacker is now in custody.

Tourism from China has suffered recently after a series of incidents and Sanook says this latest one will do nothing to restore confidence.

Chiang Mai Song Thaew drivers see red over Grab

Chiang Mai’s Grab vs traditional public transport continues. The issue has simmered for two years with occasional outbreaks of violence and an ongoing war of words on social media.

Thai PBS reports that the spat has become a major problem again between the public Red Song Thaews and Grab Cars in the northern city.

On the one hand members of the public are finding Grab more convenient, personal and better service. While the Red Bus drivers are complaining that their income is dropping, by more than 50% in some cases.

The Department of Land Transport and airport authorities reported 344 Grab drivers had been fined for picking up passengers at Chiang Mai airport since January 1.

Speaking to Thai PBS, students said Grab was much better and provided a personal service often at only a small increased cost.

“It goes to exactly where we want and is quicker than waiting for a Red Bus.”

One student even claimed they had been dumped so that the Red Bus driver could pick up tourists – a more lucrative kind of passenger.

The deputy of the local Red Bus association Bunreuang Wangmee said his organisation represented 2,465 members. While he admitted that some overcharged most kept to the 20 baht to 30 baht charges. He claimed that meant they were better value than Grab Car.

He said that some of his members had seen their daily income plummet from 1,200 baht to 400-500 baht per day.

Police and drug courier injured in shootout at Chiang Mai checkpoint

Three alleged drug couriers have been arrested this morning following a gunfight that injured a suspect and a police officer.

The incident happened in the Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai. Police say they monitored road checkpoints last night until officers at a traffic booth in Tambon Rimtai noticed a motorcycle leading the way for a pick-up truck at 1.20am, according to The Nation.

Police flagged them down at the checkpoint but the motorcycle mounted the footpath to avoid the checkpoint and sped away. When the pickup was stopped, a man on the back jumped down and ran into the forest, with police not far behind.

The suspect opened fire on the policeman chasing him with his homemade sawn-off shotgun. The shot hit the officer’s left arm. The officer returned fire and hit the suspect in the abdomen before police were able to seize his gun. The injured suspect was identified as 21 year old Wongsakorn Jala.

Both the injured policeman and suspect were rushed to the district hospital.

The two other suspects were identified as a 22 and 30 year old. Police found 200,000 methamphetamine pills in the back of the pickup. Police are still trying to find the motorcycle ‘scout’ who was leading the way.

The suspects told police they were hired by a Lahu man in Chiang Mai’s Chai Prakan district to take the drug from Fang district and deliver it to a recipient in the city.

Young British man found dead in Chiang Mai condo

A maid discovered a British man dead in the bedroom of a room on the eighth floor of a luxury condo in the Chang Khlan district of Chiang Mai over the weekend.

39 year old Kapadia Sarfaraaz was found face down on the bedroom floor. Police found no signs of a struggle or wounds on the body. But they say there were lots of different medications in the room. They speculate that the man had probably died from some ongoing illness.

The man had checked into the condominium last Tuesday and thought to have been dead about one day. In the Thai Rath report, the man was described as a “big man”. An autopsy is currently being held and relatives and the Consulate are being contacted.

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